In view of numerous factors such as higher energy prices and environmental concerns, the production of value-added gaseous products from lower-fuel-value carbonaceous feedstocks, such as biomass, coal and petroleum coke, is receiving renewed attention. The catalytic gasification of such materials to produce methane and other value-added gases is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,828,474, 3,998,607, 4,057,512, 4,092,125, 4,094,650, 4,204,843, 4,468,231, 4,500,323, 4,541,841, 4,551,155, 4,558,027, 4,606,105, 4,617,027, 4,609,456, 5,017,282, 5,055,181, 6,187,465, 6,790,430, 6,894,183, 6,955,695, US2003/0167961A1, US2006/0265953A1, US2007/000177A1, US2007/083072A1, US2007/0277437A1 and GB 1599932.
The process for the catalytic gasification of a carbonaceous material to synthetic natural gas requires the presence of steam to react with carbon to generate methane and carbon dioxide. It has generally been contemplated to utilize coal-fired boilers to generate the required steam. Such methods have the disadvantages of requiring an additional fuel source for the boiler, while producing an exhaust comprising carbon dioxide, which is either exhausted to the atmosphere or otherwise sequestered. As such, there exists a need in the art to develop processes for the catalytic gasification of carbonaceous materials to synthetic natural gas which more efficiently utilize fuels sources, including those utilized for generating steam, while decreasing the carbon footprint of the overall process.